WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 will include big wins for Louisiana ports and waterways, including significant provisions that will strengthen our water resources infrastructure and provide enhanced flood protection for our Louisiana coastal communities.
“This is great news for communities along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast and our rivers,” said Dr. Cassidy. “These wins strengthen our ports, waterways, and water infrastructure. It’ll create jobs and protect Louisiana from future hurricanes and floods.”
Cassidy wins in the 2024 WRDA:
- Authorizes water resources development projects and studies, including 22 authorizations for new projects or modifications to existing projects and over 200 feasibility studies.
- Included language addressing Hurricane Storm Disaster Risk Reduction (HSDRRS) payback provisions that clarifies that the State of Louisiana has met all its funding obligations for the HSDRRS system, which is the Greater New Orleans area flood control and levee system. This clarification will save the State hundreds of millions of additional dollars in additional construction payments and interest charges.
- Authorizes nearly $6 billion for the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Coastal Storm and Flood Risk Management Project.
- Authorizes a feasibility study for the Lake Pontchartrain Barrier Project that would reduce storm surge risk throughout the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.
- Modifies a flood control project to include bank stabilization and study the feasibility of adding 62 miles to the east bank of the Ouachita River Levee System from Monroe to Caldwell Parishes.
- Modifies an existing Corps project to allow for improvements to both Channel Deepening and an East Jetty Extension for the Calcasieu Ship Channel (Calcasieu River and Pass Project).
- Includes Morganza-to-the-Gulf tie in to Upper Barataria Basin language that requires the Corps to evaluate risk reduction measures to close the 7-mile gap between the Morganza-to-the-Gulf and Upper Barataria Basin projects as this is the only area without planned structural hurricane protection from Terrebonne Parish to the New Orleans HSDRRS system.
- Includes an expansion of an existing feasibility study of the Alexandria to the Gulf for the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee system to include additional parishes to participate in the scope of the study.
- Includes language authorizing Point Celeste Pumping Station as an environmental infrastructure project, making the project eligible to receive Corps funding.
- Increases the federal cost-share for inland waterway projects to 75%; the remaining 25% will come from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund.
- Includes authorizing language that requires the Corps of Engineers to assume all operations, maintenance, repair, replacement and rehabilitation (OMRR&R) responsibilities for all aspects of the West Bank and Vicinity Project and the original earthen levees protection system along the Algiers Canal at full federal expense.
- Authorizes a Corps study to provide recommendations for levee systems constructed to federal standards, but not constructed by the USACE, such as the South Lafourche Levee District, to become a federally recognized levee system and thereby become eligible for future federal support.
- Extends authority to raise HSDRRS levees that have subsided or settled below design grade to 2033.
- Extends authority for the continuation of a Non-Federal Implementation Pilot Program to 2030. This pilot program allows local Corps project partners, such as the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, to execute and construct federally authorized major flood protection projects.
- Authorizes funding for Larose to Golden Meadows rehabilitation and inspection program to evaluate and address any deficiencies in the covered flood risk reduction project.
- Includes language that provides credit to the Morganza to the Gulf project for prior interim flood protection work that the project has undertaken.
- Includes language that expedites the Corps of Engineers review and notification process for the Port Fourchon Belle Pass Navigation Project.
- Includes a U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Reauthorization Title which includes reauthorization of the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) programs as well as specific language that makes Vernon, Sabine, and Terrebonne Parishes eligible to participate in DRA programs.
###